Climate change is fueling wildfire risk — and anxiety

Wildfire smoke is blanketing the Pacific Northwest as Spokane, Washington grapples with a historic fire that's destroyed neighborhoods and remains uncontrolled. Per Axios, fires are also burning in the Bordeaux region of France and British Columbia. Climate scientists note that while wildfires have always existed, climate change is making them larger and more intense by raising temperatures and drying vegetation. Moody's wildfire modeling team says locations as varied as Spokane, France, and Hawaii now share common accelerants—hotter weather, longer fire seasons, and more homes in fire-prone areas. But there's a psychological reality: people fleeing these disasters focus on evacuation and safety, not climate policy. One forest ecologist has evacuated five times in twenty years from her Washington home and wonders if the scientific community misjudged how people would respond to escalating disasters. With months of fire season ahead, some active fires won't be controlled until rain and snow finally arrive.

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